FARMER

AMY'S RANCH SLANTS Narrowing the Gender Gap
For one of my first guest speaking engagements, the topic I chose to talk about was communication between couples and understanding our partner in order to help narrow the gender gap. Since a lot of...Posted on 3/24/12 at 8:00 PM

WASHINGTON — The top leaders in both parties on the House and Senate Agriculture committees have agreed to a one-year extension of the 2008 farm bill that expired in October, a move that could head off a possible doubling of milk prices next month.

The wheat markets had losses of 15 to 20 cents last week, following along with the steep losses seen in the row crop markets. Noncommercial money was flowing out of the grain markets ahead of the holiday breaks and year-end.

WASHINGTON — The probability that Congress and President Barack Obama will conclude a “fiscal cliff” bill to deal with the nation’s deficit, much less include a new farm bill in it, is low, but House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said he is not worried about whether a bill is passed before next year.

WASHINGTON — The American Association of Crop Insurers and the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau are urging the Senate to reject all the amendments that would change the crop insurance section of the farm bill, but reform coalitions are urging the senators to consider passing them. The groups, which represent crop insurance agents and companies, issued the statement recently.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the most populous nation on Earth, China has intermittently been seen as the solution to the problem created by the ability of United States farmers to produce more than they can sell at a profitable price. Sometimes the discussion is focused on cotton; at other times it is corn or soybeans. Today, it is pork — on the hoof that is.
A recent Reuters article provides an explanation for the surge in the import of live pigs into China. From 2002 to 2007, China imported a total of 13,000 head of swine, while from 2008 to 2011, live swine imports totaled 39,000 head — 15,000 in 2011 alone.

Sheyenne, N.D., farmer Mark Seastrand expects to plant roughly twice as many barley acres this spring as a year ago. A lot of other North Dakota farmers will be planting more barley, too, if the U.S. Department of Agriculture is right.

WASHINGTON — With gas prices ticking ever-higher and the summer months approaching, no relief is in sight. Gas prices affect not only your cost at the pump, but also the cost to transport goods you use in everyday life, such as food and clothing. With an economy that is slowly recovering, spikes in the price of fuel could spell disaster. Congress needs to act to ensure our economic recovery is not derailed.